Delicious Eggplants and Meat Stew

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You might be surprised to learn that there are 500 different dishes made in Turkey with eggplants. There is a huge variety of courses you can prepare with eggplants; from pickles to main dishes, from salads to starters. This dish is one of them it is a delicious eggplant stew made with eggplants, ground beef and tomatoes as the main ingredients. Leave out the meat and make it Vegan. Enjoy!

I hate frying, it means lots of heavy smell in the kitchen and calories and not to forget plenty of effort and clean-up it will require afterwards. This recipe does not require the eggplants to be fried, so the dish itself is more light but still very delicious. I suggest you prepare a nice typical rice pilaf and a refreshening shepherd’s salad next to it. Makes my husband a very happy man, I hope your partners will be happy too.

Are Eggplants good for you?

Unfortunately eggplants are not among the favorites in majority of countries. Perhaps this might change if more people read about the nutritional benefits of eggplants. With only 20 calories in a cup. Eggplants have color pigments which are antioxidants that help anti-inflammation and obesity protection. Another, protects cells to prevent aging and disease and supports the brain against Alzheimer’s disease.

How to choose eggplants?

Although choosing the right eggplants depends on what you will be cooking the following list applies for all types of dishes:

• If using more than one eggplant, choose ones that are similar sized and look alike to make sure that they cook at the same time.
• Do not choose too big eggplants, the bigger the eggplant the more seeds it will have. Eggplant seeds are not tasty.
• Slimmer the eggplant, the tastier.
• The stem part should be green, showing that the eggplant is fresh.
• When you slightly squeeze the eggplant it should have some softness and should not be stiff. You can understand this by slapping the eggplant to your hand.
• The color of the eggplant should be bright and shiny
• There should not be any cuts or scratches, as this will make the eggplants go bad quicker.
• Check the bottom of the eggplant, if stiff pick another one as it is not ripe enough.

How peel?

• First rinse the eggplants
• Cut off the stem. There is no need to make a large cut. Cutting off the green stem part is enough.
• Peel the eggplant in stripes, making the eggplants look like they are wearing old fashioned pyjamas.
• The eggplant peel is what gives the taste to the eggplant. If you keep it all on, it might be too bitter, if you peel it all it might be tasteless.
• I do not advise you to peel completely as when you do, the eggplants tend to become too soft and marsh-mellow looking when cooked.
• When cutting or slicing eggplants keep in mind that they shrink considerably. So double the size you want to obtain after the eggplant is cooked.
• Then cut according to the dish you will be making. For this specific recipe slice the eggplants about 2 centimeters (1  inch) thick slices.
• If the eggplants are very large you might also go ahead and cut the slices into halves too.

Is Brining a must?

If you are using organic eggplants soak the eggplants in salty water to brine. 1 tablespoon salt will be enough. Keep eggplants in this water for at least 20 minutes to get rid of the bitterness and the black color of the eggplants. If necessary put something heavy on top, to press down the eggplants into the water. When time is up, take them out, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.

If not using organic eggplants, you can skip this step.

How to oven fry?

Eggplant has a spongy texture, this makes it absorb a huge amount of oil when fried, so in order to eliminate this, use the oven. Here are the steps and some notes about oven frying the eggplants:

• Place the sliced eggplants on to an oven tray. Sprinkle with salt and olive oil. Mix to make sure all slices are well coated.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180° Celsius (350° F) for about half an hour. Half way flip over to make sure both sides get a chance to be baked.

The rest is in the recipe card below. While the eggplants are cooking prepare the ground beef and potatoes seperately. You can skip the potatoes, but I believe it makes the dish richer. You can pre bake the potatoes together with the eggplants.

You can leave out the ground beef and turn this dish vegan if you choose to.

You combine in stages; in the bottom potatoes with tomato, in the middle eggplants on top ground beef and slices of tomato. Enjoy this colorful and tasty dish. 

Print Pin

No-fry Eggplants with Meat

No frying, more healthy, but still tasty.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6 persons

Calories 175kcal

Ingredients

Eggplants

• 4-5 eggplants medium sized, not too fat
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Meat filling

• 150 grams ground beef
• 1 onions chopped
• 1 mild green peppers chopped
• 2 garlic cloves chrushed
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch black pepper

Potatoes

• 1 potatoes sliced thin
• 1 tomato or 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon olive oil

Combining

• 3 tomatoes sliced for the topping
• boiling water
• 1 teaspoon salt to taste
• 5-6 stalks parsley for garnish

Instructions

Eggplants

• Wash the eggplants and peel them vertically in stripes. Then slice them about 2 centimetres (1 inch) thick.
• Also peel and slice the potatoes. Make the slices thin, so they will cook quicker.
• Place the eggplant slices and the potato slices on an oven tray. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Mix well and make sure they all lay flat on the tray. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180° Celsius for about half an hour. Half way flip over to make sure both sides get a chance to be baked.
• Cook until eggplants are soft and slightly charred

Meat

• Meanwhile in a pot add two tablespoons of olive oil and chopped onions. Saute until the onions are translucent, then add the ground beef meat.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring until the meat changes color.
• Then also add the peppers that you have taken out the seeds and chopped and the crushed garlic. Cook all together for another 1-2 minutes.
• Add salt and red pepper flakes.
• Add in the chopped tomatoes and/or tomato paste.
• Mix, cover the lid and cook for another 5 minutes and then remover from the stove.

Combining

• By now the eggplants and potatoes are probably ready. Pour them on to a deep skillet. On top pour all the ground beef mixture.
• As a final layer add flat large slices of tomato. Pour enough boiling water to reach half the hight of the mixture. Cook until the water boils once and again. Rest for 5 minutes and serve warm.
• Garnish with chopped parsley

Notes

Choose eggplants that are similar sized and look alike to make sure that they cook at the same time.

Do not choose too big eggplants, the bigger the eggplant the more seeds it will have. Eggplant seeds are not the tastiest part.

Slimmer the eggplant, the tastier.

The stem part should be green, showing that the eggplant is fresh.

When you slightly squeeze the eggplant it should have some softness and should not be stiff. You can understand this by slapping the eggplant to your hand.

The color of the eggplant should be bright and shiny

There should not be any cuts or scratches, as this will make the eggplants go bad quicker.

Check the bottom of the eggplant, if stiff pick another one as it is not ripe enough.

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